Exile
by Stratagem
Summary: When Obi travels with Zen and the others to an island nation, he doesn't expect to come back with a new partner. A scholar-warrior temporarily exiled from home, Elise finds herself working with an infuriating yet charming ex-assassin. Paired together through happenstance and draw together by an evolving trust and affection, the two work to protect Shirayuki and Zen.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Snow White With the Red Hair! Though I have grown to love it quite a lot!

A/N: Obi is such an interesting character! I can't decide whether I ship Zen x Shirayuki or Obi x Shirayuki, but for this story, it's Zen x Shirayuki and Obi x OC. This takes place about a year after Shirayuki finishes her time at Lyrias; she's now working at Wilant Castle as pharmacist assistant under Ryuu and Zen is the guardian of Wilant and the north.

* * *

 **Exile**

Chapter 1

"It's beautiful!"

Obi smirked as Shirayuki leaned against rail, a beaming smile on her face. The scenery did make a nice picture. Sunshine glinted off the waves as their ship sailed into a port decorated with flags and banners, and bells glimmered and rang in the distance. A day ago, a boat from the island had met them out on the ocean; it must have raced back to port to announce that they would be there soon. The flag of Clarines snapped in the wind at the top of their ship's main mast, declaring the arrival of the nation's second prince.

Said royal was standing next to Shirayuki, a small smile on his face. Instead of looking at the island, he was looking at the red-haired woman beside him while he nodded. "Yes, very beautiful."

Hah, if only he would actually tell the mistress that directly. How hard was it to tell such a gorgeous woman that she was beautiful?

"The Resu Isles are supposed to be some of the prettiest islands in the world," Mitsuhide said. He and Kiki were flanking Shirayuki and Zen as they all watched the port grow larger.

Beyond the crowds gather at the port there was a colorful city with buildings of every conceivable color and a broad path leading up to a bright white palace. It was a striking sight against the green backdrop of the forest and the bright blue summer sky.

"I don't think they're particularly happy to greet you or anything, master," Obi said with wry amusement. Even from here, they could see the welcoming celebrations that had already started. Deep drumbeats carried out over the water and caught them on the ship, making Obi tap his foot to the catchy rhythm.

Zen tossed a half-hearted a glare over his shoulder at Obi, but it was obvious to the people who knew him that he was both excited and nervous. This was the first time that Izana had sent him so far away to act as the king's ambassador. He was here to negotiate a new and improved trade deal with the island nation as well as secure it as an ally. A couple of Clarines' neighboring kingdoms were becoming restless, and war was a possibility in the distant future. The Resu Isles were well-known for its excellent navy, which would be extremely valuable in a battle.

Obi sprang up onto the ship's railing and grabbed onto a rope, leaning out over the waves.

"Don't fall in," Zen said, "We won't go back for you."

Obi grinned at the prince and nodded. Yeah, right. Zen would be the first one to jump in after him if he did fall, and Mitsuhide would be right after him. However, there was no chance that Obi would lose his balance like that.

"Mistress, would you like to come up here?" he said playfully, extending a hand to her, "I won't let you fall."

"No, thanks," Shirayuki said, waving her hands at him, "I think I'd like to keep my feet on the deck."

"Which is where _your_ feet should be," Mitsuhide said, looking up at Obi.

"Oh?" Obi responded to that by climbing up the rigging until he swung up and perched on one of the ship's mast. From here, it looked like they were arriving at a colorful jewel of land from a bright, glittering sea. Below him, he could hear Zen yelling at him to come down. His master worried too much about his aides, especially when all three of them could take care of themselves. It was sort of endearing, though.

Leaning back against the mast, Obi let one leg swing in the open air. As they headed into the port, joyful music swelled from the port, and people tossed flowers into the sea, creating colorful spots on the waves.

Obi had never been to the Resu Isles before, but he had once known a poison-maker from the island. The man had traveled to the mainland and lost his savings, but he always dreamed of making enough money to get back to the island. He had always said it was one of the most dazzling places you could imagine. He had also been very proud of the martial arts style that was popular on the island. Obi was looking forward to doing a little exploring during their month-long stay and maybe find a few fighters to spar against.

They bumped gently against the dock, and the music grew louder as people cheered and waved flags and cloths. More flowers flew into the air, covering the gangplank that the crew lowered to the dock. It was incredibly tempting to loosen one of the ropes and swing down like a pirate, but Mitsuhide was waving at him urgently, Obi's formal jacket in one hand.

Time to go be official.

* * *

"Do you think he's handsome?"

"All of the rumors say he is, miss!"

"Oh, I hope he's as gorgeous as they say…"

Elise glanced over at Princess Lilica as she gushed over the possible attractiveness of Prince Zen of Clarines with a couple of her handmaidens. Soon she would be leaving the princess in the hands of her partner, Wyn, while she went to act as the court's guide to the visiting prince and his entourage.

She suspected that Lilica had volunteered her for the job just so she could report back about the prince's likes and dislikes, any quirky habits, and of course, details about how perfect he was. Part of her knew she should temper Lilica's excitement by bringing up the other rumors, the ones about how Zen had a potential bride in mind already. However, the last time she had attempted that, Lilica had shot her down hard.

"We should head down to the harbor to see him arrive," Turi suggested. One of Lilica's handmaidens, Turi was loud and boisterous, and she had a good habit of pulling the princess out of her shell. While she was talkative and lively within her our household, the moment she was out in public, Lilica would shut down. It wasn't acceptable for a crown princess to act that way, but Elise was having a hard time convincing the princess to be more sociable. Sure, she was shy but she was also stubborn.

"That wouldn't be proper at all," Wyn said, piping up from her spot by the doorway. While Elise was perched on the corner of Elise's bed, Wyn was casually guarding the doorway.

Wyn had been Lilica's official bodyguard since she was sixteen and Lilica and Elise were ten. While Elise had begun her career as Lilica's official playmate and study partner, Wyn had always had the position of bodyguard. Once Elise was fifteen, she had joined Wyn in guarding Lilica.

"Oh, bother on being proper," Turi said, reaching out and grabbing Lilica's hands. She pulled the princess to her feet. "Come on, princess, let's go see this prince of yours!" Giggling, she tugged Lilica behind her as she raced out the door, the other two handmaidens following after them.

"Ah, um…Elise!" Lilica called, her voice lifting over the laughter.

Wyn sighed and shot a look at Elise, who was already on the move. Elise tossed a smile back at her partner and grabbed her collapsible staff from the weapons holder near the door before trailing after the princess and her silly friends. She was supposed to be in full court garb before meeting the envoy from Clarines, but they were going to have to settle for her normal working outfit. Sandals laced up to her knees, a dark purple tunic-dress, bracers on her arms and leather belt with her blades attached plus the holder for her staff that looped over her chest and back. Oh, and there was the circlet of flowers that Lilica had made for her.

Hopefully the Clarines group wasn't too stuffy.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Snow White with the Red Hair.

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

The port was loud with drums, singing, and chanting. People spoke in the language used on the mainland but the island nation's own language, Res, was more prevalent. According the Clarines court scholars, a third of the people on the Resu Islands could speak and understand the mainland language but the rest exclusively spoke in Res.

It was a pretty language, almost musical in nature, but apparently it was difficult to learn. Zen had been taught some of it for the trip, and the rest of the group from Clarines had picked up a few useful phrases.

Obi had haunted Zen's Res lessons and he knew some of the language from his previous contact from the country, so he could understand a bit of what people were saying. Most of them were yelling out good fortunes for Zen and Clarines or hollering welcomes to everyone disembarking from the ship.

It seemed like everyone gathered was incredibly enthusiastic about the visiting nobility. Probably because they didn't get many people from the mainland all the way out here. They were a prosperous nation, but once trade deals were in place, visiting wasn't a necessity. If war wasn't possibly on the way, he doubted that Clarines would be renegotiating its own deal with the island nation.

Apparently there was an overabundance of flowers on the island and the king had given the order to get rid of the surplus because people were still tossing flowers. Petals and blooms drifted down from the second and third story windows, getting in his hair and covering his jacket. Obi plucked a bright yellow daisy that was trying to slip under the collar of his shirt and then reached over to tuck it into the young mistress' shining hair. While she had her hood up right now, it would be impossible to hide her apple-colored locks from the Resu for long.

Zen shot him a look that said he clearly wished that he thought of giving Shirayuki a flower before Obi. Oh well. The master was going to have to learn to move faster.

Shirayuki waved at a few of the little kids that had gathered at the edge of the docks, and they burst out into yells and waved back wildly. One of the tiny girls tossed a whole bouquet of flowers at Zen, but Obi reached out and grabbed it before it could hit him. He twirled it happily and then presented it to Zen, who gave him an arched eyebrow look. Obi just grinned and handed the bouquet to Mitsuhide instead.

There was a pair of open air carriages waiting at the edge of the dock along with a middle-aged man in a green tunic with the royal family's emblem on it. Aw, crap. There wasn't a horse that Obi could steal to ride, which meant he was going to have to ride in one of the carriages. He hated being confined like that, even if it was an open air carriage. He only rode in them if there wasn't any other option…

The assistant bowed to Zen, a graceful sweeping motion.

"Your highness, I've been sent to escort you to the palace," the man said, "I am the king's head assistant, Evanis."

"Thank you, Evanis," Zen said, nodding his head to the assistant, "We are grateful." Zen smirked a little and gestured to the crowds. "This is a very warm welcome."

The court assistant smiled and spread his hands apologetically. "It's been a few years since a prince has visited. Excuse their excess excitement."

"It's fine," Zen said, quiet amusement hiding in his expression.

As the others loaded into the carriages, Obi looked around, wondering how he could go but not have to join in the carriage riding. If only there was a horse somewhere…

Finally, he spotted one saddled and ready to go, though a young woman was holding the reins. She was on the short side with light blond hair and dark grey eyes that locked onto him the moment he looked at her too long. He didn't look away. Instead, he grinned at her, which earned him a narrowed frown from those grey eyes.

Her dark purple outfit would have looked innocuous if it wasn't for the additional weapons. Obi quickly assessed her visible weaponry, finding bracers with strange metal features, a pair of sheathed blades, and what looked like a metal club poking out from over her shoulder. She was standing near a few other girls, but they were all in light summer dresses, though theirs looked far more expensive than the ones the people around them. Even though they were attempting to cover them up with cloaks, it wasn't enough to escape his quick, knowing gaze.

If he had to bet, he would say that the girl in purple was the bodyguard for one of the other girls. Probably the girl with the dark brown curly hair since she seemed to be leaning toward her.

"I'll be right back," Obi announced to Mitsuhide and Kiki before sauntering toward the woman with the horse. She watched him, moving very subtly so that she was in front of the dark-haired girl. Yep, he was right. That definitely had to be the girl she was guarding.

"Hey there," he said, smirking at her once he was close enough, "This might be a little odd, but I'd like to borrow your horse."

The blonde blinked and then straightened up, putting a hand on her hip. "You're kidding. Isn't there a carriage for you to ride in?" Her lilting Resu accent was strong, but it she definitely spoke the mainland language.

"I don't like those," he said, taking another step closer. He stopped when she shifted, knowing better than to push a trained bodyguard too far. "I promise I'll bring it back."

For a long moment, she looked at him incredulously. "Aren't you going to the palace?"

"Yep," he answered, "But I can find you later."

"That sounds a little threatening," she said, "Just saying you can track me down based on this little exchange."

"It's not really," Obi responded, "If you give me your name, I can find you easier."

Beside her, the dark-haired girl started to say something, but then the blonde gave her a certain look that Obi couldn't quite read. However, when the dark-haired girl looked away, she was almost smiling. What was that about?

The blonde looked back at him. "Can you find me without a name?"

He sized her up, letting his eyes go from the top of her head to her sandals and back to her eyes. "Definitely."

"All right," she said, extending the reins to him, "But you'll owe me a favor."

Wait a second. "What kind of favor?"

"Not a deadly one and not one that will require you to betray anyone," the woman said, "How's that?"

"Oddly specific but I'm fine with it," Obi said. He held out a hand, and she dropped the reins into his palm.

"This is Wave," she said, patting the dapple grey gelding's neck, "Don't dig into him with your heels and you'll be fine."

"Nice to meet you, kind sir," Obi said, bowing to the horse and earning a few giggles from the other girls near the blonde. He nodded to her before mounting the horse. "You're sure you won't tell me your name?"

Stepping back, she grinned. "No. See you soon."

"Obi! Let's go!" Mitsuhide yelled from the carriages. He could see from the look on Zen's face that he had taken too long procuring the horse, but this felt right to him. Riding a horse was so much better than being stuck in a carriage.


End file.
